Spaz

Almost, but not quite. Usually the way it works is some one person disagrees with the current denomination and convinces a group of people that he is right. No? There are the shepherds and the sheep, that's the way it works, that's why the only way to form your own opinion is to question everything.

Grizzly

I think the question that needs to be asked is "are christians supposed to have a diverse range of views when it comes to morality and behaviour". If not, then what distinguishes Christians from Atheists?

I would agree with your statement that Christians are a diverse group with a broad range of opinions. The question is, are you supposed to be?

GeoTheo

The belief in God mainly.
Whose doing the supposing?

Biff the unclean

Since you have had so many gripes about the wrong sorts of Christians who aren't really Christian, my guess would be you. Or have you changed your tune still again?

GeoTheo

Biff,
I would appreciate it if you didn't try to initiate any conversations with me. I find you to be an extremely caustic, abrasive person with no sense of humor. I have nothing nice to say to you so from now on I will say nothing at all. I've tried to be civil with you but it has not worked. I see no benefit from any further exchanges. I would rather spend my time here talking to reasonable intelligent people.
Thank you.

Novowels

Where'd you get that crazy idea?

Grizzly

Hi Geotheo,

I'll give you a little background about my post. I also participate at another BB called ChristianForums. I have seen a number of the posters over there state that Atheists have no morals because they don't believe in God (implying that they DO have morals because they believe in God). But when I started to think about it, there really aren't alot of behaviors that Christians agree on as being moral/immoral other that those that we ALL seem to agree on. I think the root of the problem is that many Christians disagree about biblical interpretation, and with God being relatively incommunicado with his creation, there is no one around to clarify.

Shake

Nice. Here is a prime example of a theist trying to goad us into debating this "point" which is a negative stereotype (unwarranted, I might add) of an atheists' view of theists. Look, we all know that you are able to think for yourselves.

I did a thread some time ago asking what a Xian is, and I think there's another thread about that same question floating around here somewhere too. They can't even decide which other sects even are Xians! Amos will tell you that Catholics aren't Xians. I bet if you went to leaders in each sect and asked them to give you a list of sects other than their own that were also Xian, you'd have some interesting variations in your lists.

If they agreed on more things, there'd be fewer overall sects. For example, there are Baptists, and Southern Baptists; Lutherans have the ELCA and the MO Synod; there are different flavors of Catholics, etc.

There are some ignorant people out there that think that 'Protestant' is itself just one religion. The word 'protestant' comes from 'protest' which is what Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, was doing when he kicked of the Reformation (which, by the way, was an attempt to merely reform the Catholic Church, not create (a) new religion(s)).

But people are different. You'll find variations in belief even in single congregations, just as you do in political parties. Everyone's different, have different priorities, concerns, and things that are important to them. This is just another part of the reason why I feel that "organized" religion is a sham. One's relationship with God, Allah, Vishnu, Zeus, nature, whatever, is a very intimate, personal sort of thing that can't be fully shared.

keyser_soze

Biff is caustic? Are you serious? Magus is caustic, gunnysgt is caustic, hell...even I am caustic....but Biff?

GeoTheo

Does it bug you that you can't put us into a neat little category and make assumptions about what we believe without asking us?
The same why I can't make assumptions about what a person believes when they call them selves an "atheist" besides one basic point?